LSU coach Fran Flory knew Friday night’s match against Auburn (6-22, 1-16) wasn’t going to be easy.”Auburn is a team that is better than their record indicates,” Flory said. “They were playing with absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. Those are dangerous teams.”In the end, the Tigers were able to narrowly escape an upset on Senior Night in the PMAC, defeating Auburn, 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 18-25, 25-18, 15-6).And it was the seniors that shined on their night in a defensive battle.LSU senior libero Elena Martinez had a match-high 22 digs for the Tigers. Martinez moved into fourth place on LSU’s all-time career digs list during the match, as she has accumulated 1,321 digs in her career.Senior outside hitter Kyna Washington added 13 digs for the Tigers, along with 14 kills. The match marked Washington’s 34th double-double of her career.The two teams combined for 162 digs. Every LSU player had at least two digs, and all but three of Auburn’s 14 players recorded a dig.”Auburn did a great job of playing defense,” Flory said. “That’s one of the best defensive teams we’ve played all year. They really did a great job of keeping the ball off the floor.”The match improved LSU’s record to 5-7 when being outdug by their opponent.LSU freshman middle blocker Michele Williams – the reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week – continued her stellar play as she recorded a match and career-high 16 kills while hitting at a .382 clip for the Tigers. She also tied a career high with 6 blocks.The win was LSU’s 15th straight against Auburn, and Flory has now won at least 15 matches in each of her 11 seasons at LSU. The Tigers’ five-set victory also allowed them to maintain their SEC Western Division lead and chances for an NCAA tournament berth.”We knew that if we lost this match, there is no hope for us getting into the tournament,” said LSU junior setter Sam Dabbs. “We finally realized that we needed to stop putting that pressure on ourselves and that we are at our house. We don’t lose at the PMAC. It’s our home court.”The Tigers got the remainder of the weekend off, and Flory said it was a much needed rest after the long match against Auburn.”We’re tired,” Flory said. “I can’t ask this team to do anymore in practice or how they prepare. We had a great week of practice and preparation. They are doing everything and anything we ask, and I’m really proud of them.”The Tigers (15-9, 9-7) will hit the road to face Arkansas at 7 p.m. Friday.
 
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